


Details and Decisions

by Ninke_A



Series: Getting Together and Staying Together [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Insecure Lance, M/M, Shovel Talk, Slice of Life, pidge is done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 16:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninke_A/pseuds/Ninke_A
Summary: Hunk and Pidge learn about what is going on. They take their issues right to the source, while Lance has a decision to make.





	Details and Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> I got around to this sooner than I expected. I really cannot thank you all enough for the comments! I'm so happy to see how much everyone is enjoying this little series. Thank you!!
> 
> Please let me know what you think of this part!

While Shiro was busy keeping Lance held close, Keith started considering a wide range of important things. Like how quickly they could convince Lance to move out of his frankly shitty apartment and in with them. Whether or not he could get some time off so he could go home with Lance to insure that he came back.

He was considering on the practicality of making a space for Lance to draw in their work out room when Lance’s phone began to play the Addams Family Theme, which caused them all to draw apart. Keith took a step back but didn’t let go of Lance’s hand, glaring at the offending device.

“That’s Pidge. I need to… get that.” Lance’s eyes were red, and his face wet with tears but Keith still thought he was beautiful. He squeezed lightly before letting go, so Lance could answer. They all knew better than to ignore a call from Pidge, especially since she was more included to text rather than call.

“Hey Pidgeotto, whats up?” Lance was silent for a bit, and he turned away from them slightly, which Keith tried hard not to take as a rejection. “No, I’m not on my way yet… I’m at Keith and Shiro’s… uh huh.. No.. it’s.. Wow… rude.”

Keith shared a glance with Shiro, a slight smile on his face as Lance started sounding more like himself the longer he talked to Pidge.

“Okay Pidge! No threats! I’ll get one of them to drive me okay? What? Hang on..” Lance placed his hand over the phone and turned, staring at Shiro. “Pidge says Hunk is going to pick me up.” He put the phone back to his ear and made a few noncommittal noises.

Oddly, Pidge kept Lance on the phone the entire time that they waited for Hunk. Keith wasn’t pleased because he wanted to make sure that there were no more misunderstandings. That Lance knew it was okay, more than okay, for him to come back here when he was finished. That Lance knew they meant it.

Still, Keith was disappointed, because Lance ended up getting into Hunk’s car while still on the phone. He had never had a conversation on the phone with Pidge that long and didn’t think anyone else had either.

Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist, resting his chin on a shoulder. “You okay?”

“No. I wanted to tell Lance to come back here when he was done. So he knew he could. I don’t want him to go back to that apartment... " 

Shiro’s hand rubbed up and down Keith’s side in a soothing motion. “I know, I don’t want him to go back either, but I also want to take him out, treat him right, like I did with you.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Shiro, you got completely drunk, babbled at me in Japanese and then made me promise, while you were drunk, mind you, that I would go on a date with you.”

There was a long pause, then, “Yes… but I remembered the next day and took you out that night.”

It hadn’t been that bad of a date really, but Keith loved to tease Shiro about their less than perfect beginning. Although, it would be nice to take Lance out, maybe it would help convince him that there wasn’t a time limit on this relationship. That Lance really did fit with them. Of course, Keith did have some more words to say about the idiotic idea that there was anyone better for them than Lance.

“Hmm, maybe… But what would we even do? It’s not like we have a whole lot of time, Shiro. He’s still going home soon.”

Shiro’s arm tightened at that, and Keith almost felt bad about mentioning it, but they had to be realistic, they really only had until Lance left to convince him to come back to them. Plus, Shiro had his classes starting again and Keith would have to work.. How were they going to treat Lance right, when they had so little time?

 

*********

 

It hadn’t taken long for Hunk and Pidge to weasel the entire story out of Lance. Pidge had known, from the greeting on the phone that something had been wrong. Lance had called her by the wrong name, and despite him not knowing much about Pokemon, he had always just called her Pidgey. So Pidge had sent Hunk to collect their friend, and then deliberately kept him on the phone, to insure that nothing else would happen before they got Lance to their place. While part of Pidge wanted to smack Lance for keeping such important things from them, she did understand that he had been trying his best to do what they were all doing, making his own place. It was just taking him longer than the rest of them. Pidge and Hunk, well mostly Hunk had been quick to dispel any notion that they would ever pity him, or think of him as less. Then, it happened.

“And they just showed up at my shitty place, and all I could think was why would they ever want me to stay with them…”

Pidge snapped to attention. She knew that Lance had long been gone for Shiro and Keith, but this was the first _inkling_ that they felt the same. She started paying extra close attention, thankful that Hunk, who was wide eyed, made Lance go over every second of the previous night and early morning. She loved them, they were like better versions of Matt, but Lance, Lance was different. He had been the one to introduce Pidge to the little group, and had literally stared Keith down for half an hour, the one and only time Pidge and Keith had fought. Lance was why they stayed close all throughout college, despite different majors, classes and life goals. Lance was the reason she had Hunk with her now, oh it hadn’t taken any time to weasel out of Hunk how Lance had been the one to encourage him to even ask her on a simple date. How Lance had helped him plan it all out, and that it had been Lance to cover for Hunk at the restaurant that night so that they could even go out at all.

So yes, Pidge loved Keith and Shiro, would hack into almost anything for them. But, if they wanted to be with Lance? They were going to get Pidge, and Hunk’s approval first.

 

*********

 

The day had slipped by slowly, both of them too anxious to really enjoy it. They wouldn’t really get to spend much time together during the week with both their jobs, but all they could think about was how fragile their hold on Lance was, how easily he could slip away. Keith had spent almost an hour detailing to Shiro exactly what he was going to say to his boss about taking a bit of vacation time, so that he could go back with Lance, while Shiro kept countering with various date ideas. In short, they were both a mess.

But when a hesitant knock sounded at the door, Keith flew to answer it, just beating out Shiro who was right behind him. When the door opened to show Hunk dropping his hand and a scowling Pidge at his side, both of their faces fell. Lance was not there.

Unsurprisingly, Shiro was the one to speak first. “It’s good to see you both.” He ushered them both in, about three seconds after Pidge pushed her way through. Hunk was oddly silent, and Pidge was still frowning. That, added in with Lance being nowhere to be found, make Shiro even more worried.

“Is Lance staying with you two then?” Keith bluntly asked, leading the way into the living area, and dropping on the couch. Shiro could see the worry creasing the corners of his eyes, and the downturn of his mouth.

Hunk nodded. “Tonight yeah. Pidge wants some help, and we know what we can and can’t say to him right now.”

Again Shiro’s heart sank a little. It didn’t matter that Keith had plans to take time and go with Lance, that was really only good for Keith after all, Shiro still wouldn’t get to hold him, and whisper sweet things to him, brush his hair back or feel Lance’s weight on his shoulder while they slept.

Keith opened his mouth but Pidge beat him to it. “Besides, we need to talk to you two.”

Hunk nodded, then frowned at Shiro. “Lance told us everything.”

Keith smiled, and for once Shiro wished he was as oblivious as his boyfriend. “That’s good. I’m glad he talked to you.”

Hunk’s face softened, but Pidge glared all the harder. “Told us about his plans to go home and stay home, how hard things had been. Then, imagine our shock when he tells us that you two showed up at his place, and all he could wonder about was why either of you wanted him to stay with you.”

Shiro watched as all color drained from Keith’s face, and he knew his own was just as pale. It wasn’t that they planned on keeping it a secret, they just.. Wanted a little bit of time to make it actually official.

Hunk took over then, his usually friendly voice hard. “So, being the good friends we are, we make him explain it again, and we hear that our friend woke up in the arms of the two men he’s been pining after for almost four years, and that with no warning, explanation or even a hint, they just announce that he belongs here with them.”

Okay, when Hunk put it that way, it did sound kind of bad. But Shiro is a little more hung up on something else. “Four years?” They had all met just five years ago, and to know Lance had liked them both for so long.

“What do you mean with no warning?” Keith shot up from the couch. “You mean you never noticed us, staring at him? Or all those times we tried to invite him out, just the three of us? I _hugged_ him at graduation!”

Pidge rolled their eyes. “You also hugged Shiro and Hunk.” They pushed their glasses up, finally moving their frown from Keith to Shiro. “Yes, four years. But, honestly, that’s just when we figured it out.”

Shiro had to sit down. He stumbled a bit, dropping into a chair and slumping slightly. His hands came up and covering his face. Shiro honestly could not wrap his mind around it. Four years. Shiro had always thought that Lance was attractive, and he knew Keith had been the same, but Lance seemed almost like an unreachable dream. Shiro had been certain that Lance would disappear after college, becoming a great name in the art world, and being an occasional postcard or holiday letter. Then the Christmas party happened, and Shiro’s drunk flirting had actually landed him Keith. Shiro loved Keith, loved him a little bit more every day. But Lance was always dancing on the edge of his vision, reminding him that no matter how great it was just the two of them, it could be so much better with three.

 

*********

 

Hunk watched, torn as Shiro dropped into a chair like his whole world had shattered, while Keith was glaring at Pidge. He didn’t like confrontation, honestly, especially with people he cared about. But Hunk would do anything for Lance. Lance, who stepped up and told people off when they took Hunk’s good nature a bit too far, or who rudely shoved aside people to insure Hunk had enough space. He hated seeing Shiro look so hurt, but he could not stand to see Lance hurt either.

Keith was a different story. He wasn’t backing down, continuing to insist that they had shown their interest several times, and despite Pidge’s, admittedly, harsh retorts, it was going nowhere.

“Keith.” Hunk kept his voice steady, even with the fierce glare he received. “Why don’t we play poker with you and Shiro anymore?”

Even Pidge, his brilliant Tech Goddess, looked at him in confusion.

“It’s because we can’t tell what you are thinking. Either of you. You hold so much in, that we never really know why you do what you do. So to you, it probably was obvious. But no one else had any clue. Not me, not Pidge, and certainly not Lance.”

Keith finally sunk back into the couch. He was still frowning, but it seemed thoughtful now.

Pidge sighed. “Look, believe me when I say, no one would be happier than me and Hunk to see you three work out. To know that you two will finally have someone to take care of you, and to know that someone will be there for Lance when we can’t. But, you have to know something. The Lance you saw today? The one that hides what he feels? That’s a side of Lance, you don’t know.”

Shiro raised his head. “But we know now, we’ve been planning all day how to convince him we’re serious.”

Hunk finally moved close, dropping a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “That’s good, but it isn’t going to just go away. It’s going to keep coming back and if you two are really serious, then you have to be ready for that. Otherwise, it’s not fair to any of you. You’re going to have to go slow, and actually be obvious about how you feel. Not just obvious to you, but to everyone, especially Lance.” Hunk wanted all of them happy, he really did.

Keith sighed, “But..”

When no one interrupted, he swallowed and kept going. “We want him to be here while we do that. I..” He paused again, then looked down at the floor. “I don’t want him in that terrible apartment, I don’t want him to go home and never come back. I want to wipe away the idea that there is _anyone_ better for us than Lance. I don’t want…”

Shiro finished the thought. “We don’t want him alone.”

Hunk smiled, sharing a glance with Pidge. “Okay then.”

Shiro looked confused. “What?”

Pidge smirked, something that would normally make Hunk run for the hills, no matter how much he loved her. “We’re willing to help you two out, a little. We’ll help convince him to stay with you until his bus leaves, and that he needs to come back, but after that though, you two are on your own.” Her smirk grew just a bit, and Hunk was actually relieved to see both Shiro and Keith looking as nervous about it as he was, and Hunk knew what was coming.

“One more thing.” Pidge’s tone was soft, almost sweet. “If you hurt him, I will insure that you will regret it. There will be nowhere you can hide from me. I will find you. Understand.” The sweet tone vanished on the last word, becoming dark and hard.

Hunk crossed his arms and nodded. Pidge was really the scarier of the two, but Hunk had his own ideas on what to do if they hurt Lance. Seeing Keith and Shiro both immediately nod, made Hunk have a bit of hope that it was all going to work out.

 

*********

 

Lance stared at his phone, torn between elation and disappointment. It was an interview, an honest to God, praise the heavens interview. If it went well, Lance could stay, see where things would go from there, see if this tentative thing with Keith and Shiro could actually last. Honestly, with him actually working, it had a better chance than it did with no job at all. But.. It was for the city trash company. Specifically, as one of the men running on the trucks, curbside collections. Which would ruin Lance’s hands. He knew that. He knew that it was a lot of hard, heavy hand work and that with the weather inching into fall and winter, he would ruin them. Which, in turn would ruin his chances of actually doing something with his art.

He slumped into Hunk’s armchair, still staring absently at his phone and subsequently, his hands. Was it worth it to risk his art for a job that will never take him anywhere? Was it worth it to shove away a valid chance at being an equal in a relationship with the two men he adored more than anyone else? Lance decided to go to the interview, there was a good chance they like him anyway. He would decide later which was more important, his art, or Shiro and Keith.


End file.
